India should avoid a pre-determined mindset in selection matters for the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia, says former chief selector MSK Prasad. He said replacing Rishabh Pant, who is recovering from a knee ligament injury, would be impossible.
India’s move to pick two spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, in the 2021 WTC Final against New Zealand backfired as fast bowlers dominated the game in overcast conditions at Southampton.
“We went with three seamers and two spinners in the last final against New Zealand. That cost us the game. We had a chance to change the Playing XI, but we stuck with the same despite overcast conditions,” he said.
“We shouldn’t rely on pre-set thought process and should be flexible to change the squad depending on weather,” he added.
Prasad feels K S Bharat is the automatic choice for the wicket-keeping role.
“It is an easy call to go with KS Bharat over Ishan Kishan. It is impossible to replace Rishabh Pant, but you need someone who can keep wickets for 100 overs,” he concluded.